Saul and the Witch of Endor
Historical Context
Jacob Cornelisz van Oostsanen painted this Saul and the Witch of Endor around 1526, a dramatic Old Testament subject depicting the ghostly summoning of the prophet Samuel. This is one of the most imaginative compositions from Jacob Cornelisz's late career. Tempera on panel required careful preparation and a disciplined technique of hatched brushwork to build form and color — a demanding medium that rewarded the methodical workshop training standard in Renaissance painting practice.
Technical Analysis
The panel shows Jacob Cornelisz's narrative inventiveness with atmospheric supernatural effects and the warm palette that characterizes his late religious narrative compositions.
